Process of making roadways.



J. E. WARD. PROCESS OF MAKING ROADWAYS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.14, 1910.

Patented May 2, 191 1 J. B. WARD. PROCESS OF MAKING ROADWAYS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.14, 1910.

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E sTATEs JOSEPH n-wann, or LoNeBEAcH, CALIFORNIA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. WVARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Longbeach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Process of Making Roadways, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a process for making roadways by application'of oil to sand, gravel or earth forming a compact, dustless and waterproof mixture or combination.

The main object of the present invention is to reduce to a minimum the amount of oil required in making the roadway.

Another object of the inventionis to enable the roadway to be made by application of oil thereto in a special manner without necessity of special mechanical treatment, such asstirring and rolling the ground after the application of ,the oil to finish the surface; theordinary traific being alone sufficient tocompact and mix the oil with the solid matter of the roadway.

A further object of the invention is to provide for application of the oil to the roadway in such manner that there will be no objectionable deposit of liquid oil in pools or masses, such as would interfere with traffic. 1

Another object of the invention is to expedite the conversion of the oil to a solid.

' condition by increasing the stateof. division thereof and thereby correspondingly .increasing the rapidity-of oxidation. 1n the formation'of an oiled road. the gradual oxidation of the oil by the action of the air is an important feature in the conversion of ;the road surface to a hard .resistant condition and my invention provides for exposing the oil to the air in the most effective man: ner for such oxidation.

The process is specially applicable in connection with a roadway whereon there is a considerable deposit of dust, and in such a connection the process has the further'advantage of immediately reducing the sur- I I faced the roadway to a dustle'ss condition andof utilizing the dust as an important constitutent in the road surface.

The process consistsessentially in applying the oil to the road surface in a condition of suspension in the air in such manner that the oil as itsettles into contact with the road surface permeates the road surface by reason Of'itS fine state of division, forming a coating overeach solid partlcle in the i Specification of Letters Patent.

FC X 11 PROCESS OF MAKING ROADWAYS.

Patented May 2,1911.

Application filed March 14, 1910. Serial No. 549,347.

road surface, so that in the stirring and compression of the road surface by the ordinary traflic these solid particles will be compacted together and will be caused to form a waterproof compact mass, the oil acting as a means for atomizing and distributing the j oil.

The distributor means comprises a distributer head or pipe 5 extending trans versely at the rear of the truck 3 and provided with a series of atomizing nozzles '6 at various points along the length thereof and with a supply pipe 7 leading to the outlet of a pump 8 whose inlet is connected to a pipe 10 connected by a flexible hose 11 and valve 12 the oil tank 2. An engine or motor of any suitable character, indloated at 14, is connected by driving mechanism 15 to operate thepump 8. Each of the atomizing nozzles 6 may comprise a tubular casing 16, a plug 17 fitting therein and having a trans verse port 17 communicating with-an inlet opening 18 at one side of the caslng and an outlet opening 19 at the other side of the casing. The delivery end of the port 17 is preferably flared and the outlet opening 19 1s made sufficiently largeto, allow passage of the flaring blast of atomized oil from the nozzle. Handle means 20 are prov ded for each valve plug 17. An extra series of nozzles 6' -may be provided at the rear of the distributing pipe for use in case an extra supply of oil is needed. A by-pass may be provided around the engine provldedwith a valve 9. p v

The process may be carried out as follows: The oil, which is preferably crude petroleum or residuum, of propergravity and prefer; ably with asphaltum base, is supplied in the tank 1 and being preferably Sub eoted to a preliminary heating before being charged unto said tank, so as to render the -oil sufii ciently fluid for atomization. The oil tank and the truck being drawn over the surface of the roadway, the motor 14 is set in operation to drive the pump 8 and pump the oil from the oil tank 1 and pipes 11 and 10, through the delivery or outlet pipe 7 and distributer .pipe5. The atomizingnozzles 6 are opened by their handle means 20 more or less to supply oil according to the condition of the roadway, the amount of dust thereon, etc, so as to provide for a supply of oil commensurate with the absorbing capacity of the roadway, only so much being supplied as can be taken up by the dust and the porous surface of the roadway as a superficial film on each solid particle or sur face without the formation of pools or visi ble masses of oil. In case an extra supply of oil is needed, the valves 6 are opened distributing the 011 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2,.in addition to the distribution by the nozzles 6. The oil is forced by the pum 8 through the atomizing nozzles under su cient pressure to insure atomization, and the v openings for the atomizing nozzles are sufli: elently contracted to insure that as the oil issues under such pressure it will on encountering the air be broken up-into such fine particles that it tends to remain suspended in the air for an appreciable length of time forming a mist or mixtureof air and minute particles of oil. This operation of finely dividing the oil to form a mixture with air is well understood under the term atomization and the function of the operation in my process is to render the oil ca able otf permeation or diffusion into and etween the solid particles and surface of the roadway, themixture of air and atomized oil having in this respect the properties of a gas as d1stinct from those of a liquid or solid.

Where oil is deposited on the roadway by means of the ordinary sprinkling nozzles or by means of forcing the oil in a solid stream into violent contact with the surface of the roadway, the oil tendsto collect in pools and has to be violently forced into the interstices of the roadway by mechanical action for the reason that roadway surface dust particles, etc., have n5 capillary attraction for-the oil.but rather tend to repel the same until they have been actually wetted with it, but by reducing the oil to an atomized. condition and suspending it in the air, it is caused to enter the porous surface of the I roadway and to penetrate between the dust particles by a process of diffusion; and when it is deposited upon such surface 01' particles, it is in the final condition of distribution desired and does not require further mechanical stirring or pressure except to compact the particles together. As the oil supply and atomizing-means pass over the surface ofthe roadway, it, therefore, leaves on the roadway a deposit of oil substantially covering:eacli and every particle of dust and extending appreciably into the looseor porous dust onthe surface of the roadway, the deposit being substantially uniform throughout and serv-v ing at once. to lay'the dust and to give a binding surface for each particle, whereby it is adapted to serve as, a constituent of the road surface in the subsequent traflic over the surface by wheeledivehicles, etc., the particles so coated oi pressed together forming a compact, dense, and substantially uniform waterproof road surface.

In the interval which elapses between the ejection of the oil from the nozzles and the final compacting of theroa'd. surface by the traffic, the oil is maintained in acondition of maximum-exposure to the air, the reby expediting the hardening or setting of the oil, both by reason of release of the more Volatile constituents and by oxidation.

When the oil is suspended in'the air in atomized condition, it will art with. the greater portion of its most v0 atile constituents and lessen thetime of evaporation after the oil is deposited on the particles of the converting the oilto a moreso'lid or harder form and binding or combin'in it with the solid elements ofjth'e road sur ace, this'operation proceeding until the final c mpact-v ing of the road asstated. v

In practice the roadways treated by my a process are free from all stickiness or slush;

and can be used by vehicles without any of the material adhering to the wheels, while pedestrians may walk upon or .over the same without the oil and road material becoming attached to their shoes, and being carried thereby onto sidewalks or into buildings,

thereby effecting a large amount'of damage'. to property situated adjacent to such roadways.

Heretofore roadways freshly treated with crude as haltumbase oil have generally'been avoided y vehicles and pedestrians until the oil has been exposed to the action of the air and sun forsome considerable length of time and until such oil had lost the greater portionpof the volatile oils therefrom by evap oration and oxidation, but by the use of my process a roadway may be used immediately after theapplication'of oil without danger of damaging any article. i

What I claim:

p 1. The process ofmaking a roadway which 7 consists in atomizing oil in contact with air,

in such manner that the oil tends to remain suspended in the air for an appreciable time, bringing the atomized oil and air into contact with a porous road surface, causing the oil to permeate the porous road surface while still in atomized condition, and causing the atomized oil to be deposited on the material of the road surface While said material is agitated and partly suspended.

2. The process of making a roadway which consists in atomizing oil in contact with air, maintaining the oil in atomized condition and suspended in the air an appreciable time prior to bringing it into contact with a porous road surface, causing the deposit of atomized oil on the road surface in a thin layer of atomized oil particles, thereby maintaining the maximum surface of exposure of the oil to contact with the air and with the material of the roadway for hardening of the oil and binding the same to the road material by oxidation.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 5th day of March, 1910.

JOSEPH E. WARD.

In presence of ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, FRANK L. A. GRAHAM. 

